KITCHEN COLLECTIBLES OF THE PAST AND PRESENT

Collecting kitchen items is a fascinating and very popular hobby.

People collect advertising, cookbooks, gadgets, utensils, cookware, plastic ware, salt and pepper shakers, electrical appliances and the many, many other items used in the kitchen.

The kitchen is often called "the heart of the home," and with good reason, as many nostalgic memories are tied to the preparation and consumption of meals.

Who doesn't have an old casserole dish or cookbook that once belonged to a beloved relative?  It's often the case that an event such as inheriting Grandma's cookie jar created the beginning of an extensive collection.

Collections are often started because of nostalgia, an interest in history, or because the items relate to a current interest.

Cooks collect recipes and cookbooks.  Bakers collect cookie cutters, dough bowls and flour canisters.  Men often collect signs, cast iron cookware and old stoves.  Collecting items related to an employer or hometown manufacturer is common.

Every home had a kitchen, so the availability of older items to collect is still quite plentiful.  Today, home cooking is still necessary, but it's often a more relaxing task than in the past, and so the interest in kitchen items continues on with the acquisition of more modern items.

The interest in the collection and use of old kitchenware has been so immense that many modern reproduction kitchen items are now being manufactured.

Some people collect only older items, others only modern, and often it is a matter of people collecting and using a combination of the two.

Whatever your interest, or the reason behind it, it pays to educate yourself about what it is that you collect.

References can be found at the local bookstore, online, or by talking to other collectors.  Interacting with others who share a common interest is both rewarding and educational.

Kitchen collectibles can be broken down into several different main categories:

ADVERTISING

Advertising got the word out to homemakers about food products, food companies, kitchen tools, cooking equipment and about what to feed the family.

Decorating with Vintage Food Company Signs

KITCHEN TOOLS, EQUIPMENT AND GADGETS

This category of kitchen collectibles includes items used in the actual preparation of meals:  utensils, gadgets, food containers, electrical appliances, cookware, stoves and the like.

List of Kitchen Collectibles and Categories

SERVING THE MEAL

Some people are fond of the items that are related to the serving of the meal:  dinnerware, flatware, silverware and glassware.

KITCHEN TEXTILES

The kitchen contains many of the household linens and textiles.  Embroidered dishtowels, colorful feed sacks, crocheted potholders, gaily patterned aprons, tablecloths, napkins and kitschy window curtains are some of those you will find.